A Kingdom in Need
by Kittybreaad
Summary: Four years have come and gone for the Kippernium, pulling through after an unexpected raid from soldiers of Trustinall Kingdom. The elder knights cannot investigate the the kingdom; their identity has been compromised by the survivors, leading Sir Theodore to send Jane and Gunther on the mission instead. On their adventure, they stumble upon a village girl named Clarisse.
1. Prelude I: Attack on Kippernium

full summary: Four years have come and gone for the Kingdom of Kippernium, managing to pull through after an unexpected raid from soldiers of the Trustinall Kingdom. Fortunately, Dragon arrived to roast the intruders like charcoal, but the few survivors are now aware that there's a green dragon protecting the kingdom, with a young girl riding on its neck.  
The elder knights cannot investigate the Trustinall Kingdom; their identity has been compromised by the survivors, leading Sir Theodore to send Jane and Gunther on the mission instead. They had not found the Trustinall's location until now.

On their adventure, they happen to stumble upon a mysterious village girl named Clarisse who apparently knows the key to defending Kippernium and solve the runes in Dragon's lair.

 _Oh gee i literally have no life i'm writing a Fanfiction to a show that almost nobody watches. it's a dead fandom._

 _i will ignore you if you say this is a kids show i know i dont complain when i see miraculous ladybug fanfictions now do i_

 _disclaimer: i do not own jane and the dragon._

 _ohoho enjoy_

* * *

PRELUDE I: ATTACK ON KIPPERNIA

* * *

Jane woke to the sound of knocking on her door. Not normal, slow knocking. Harsh and rushed thumping on the wood. "Wake up, sleepyhead. What, do you intend to sleep all day?"

As the red-headed girl stirred, she pondered on who must be knocking so annoyingly and rudely. It was a male's voice, she could hear it from the holes in the shutter. It definitely was not Jester; he knew better not to wake her so early in the morning.

It was not Rake nor one of her instructors, they had better things to do. Possibly Smithy? His gauntlets were heavy and loud, but he was most likely in his forge. Surely it was not dragon, the old lizard would stick his head through the shutters, not knock on the door.

The knocking increased to poundings. "Get up, wench, before I go in there myself with a bucket of water!"

Jane slammed her hands against her mattress, quietly groaning to herself. Gunther. What did he want now?

"Jane I swear, if you do not wake up this instant, Sir Theodore will punish us both!" Gunther shouted, and Jane had thought that the hinges on her door must be breaking by now.

"We have practice?" she gasped awake, reiterating his words in her head. "Maggots, how long did I sleep?"

It did not matter that her hair was in a fiery mess, or that there was still crust in her eyes, Jane pushed herself up from her bed and swung open the door to reveal Gunther leaning against the stone wall, picking dirt from his fingernails.

He turned his head.

Silence.

Jane did not realise on much of a wreck she was until her fellow partner apprentice began crouching in uncontrollable laughter. "Ha!" Gunther chuckled, arms wrapped around his stomach. "You should see your face! Your hair! I did not know it could be any bigger!"

"Hmm..." Jane grumbled, a slight blush of embarrassment crawling up her cheeks. "You should not be talking, weevil, for your nose is as big as your ego!" She smiled triumphantly once Gunther instantly placed his palm over his face, masking his nose.

"Very funny, wench."

"Funny indeed. Now do we have training or not?"

"Ha, no," Gunther replied, smug as ever. "I was just bored. Needed someone easy to train with, someone I could easily beat. So, I chose you of course." He held two staves in his hand and proceeded to toss one to the squire.

Jane rolled her eyes and smirked, raising the stave. He should know better, not to insult Jane like that. As she swung the stick towards Gunther, she gave him a good wallop to the posterior, then dashed for the courtyard. "See you there, coot!"

"Hey!" he growled, clutching his stinging bottom.

Of course, Jane had always forgotten that Gunther was much, much stronger than her, not to mention he was _almost_ a master at staves. Mostly because Jane would never admit it herself.

Unfortunately, once again, she was on her knees with Gunther's stave pressing against hers, his strength far too great that her elbows were now at a small angle. "Struggling, Jane?" he asked with false concern, sniggering as his partner struggled to keep up.

"Just because you _say_ that I am, does not mean I am," she retorted with a grunt. Even after all these years in the castle, Gunther was still... Gunther. She could say the same for the rest of the castle staff, aside from the fact they have all matured into young adults. Gunther was three years away from being a knight, Jane having to endure five years.

When the struggling became an absolute bore to the apprentice, Gunther reached his foot under Jane's knee and pulled, causing her to slip on her back and drop the practice weapon. "Bastard!" she seethed. "Stop cheating!"

"Dear Jane, you were at a hopeless position," he replied, pointing the end of the stave dangerously to her throat, even if there were cushions on each end. "Besides, you would have been dead by now. Or did you keep this up just to get down on your knees and bow to me? The village girls do tend to do that." He added as an afterthought.

"Sick, " Jane spat. "Can I get up now?"

"Right after you declare I am the better knight."

 _"Squire,"_ she corrected. "You are not a knight yet, mind you."

Gunther snickered, the tip still pointing to her neck, as if they were in a real battle. "Yet. You have a long way to go, Jane, whereas I will be a knight soon enough. Now beg or admit!"

Jane scowled. "Fine. I, Jane Turnkey, declare that Gunther is an unscrupulous sod!" She swatted the stave away and shuffled to her feet. She grabbed his weapon and yanked it from his hands, then pulled the same trick. Jane hooked her foot behind his ankle and tripped Gunther, flipping the staff to place him in the same position she was previously in. "Better?"

"You two are always getting along," Smithy chuckled their way, holding an unattached hilt to a sword. Smithy was the blacksmith, obviously, his actual name being Jethro. However, it seems that name has been long since forgotten, since only his family uses that title. Over the course of four years his light blond hair has gotten considerably longer and messy with sweat, but his personality has not changed... not at all, really. "Nice to see you so lively, Gunther."

"Yes, thank you," Gunther muttered back, slowly getting up to his feet.

Jane snorted, retracting the stave once footsteps began approaching the squires. "Letter for Gunther Breech," a man in a filthy tunic said, rummaging his knapsack for the letter. Jane raised an eyebrow; could it be the village girls he mentioned? Disgusting bastard.

When Gunther retrieved the note, he unfolded it and peeled the seal off the centre. He hesitated. The courier jogged back to the village. "What is it Gunther, afraid to face an admirer of yours?" Jane posed, a fist on her hip as she rest her other hand on the end of the stave.

"No, in fact." He skimmed the short paragraph. "It is my troublesome father."

"What does he want now?"

"Load cargo." He sighed, ripping the note into pieces. "Where is your dragon so he can burn this wretched note?"

Jane laughed, to at least bring up the spirits of an upset Gunther. It is not so fun when Gunther is down, since it is more difficult to insult him. "That bad, eh? If you dislike your father so much, why do you keep returning to him?"

Gunther sighed again. "I _live_ with him, you know. And I do love my father, he is just... aggravating."

"Maybe he should lose that belly so he can do more work - perhaps if you confiscate his food you will not have to do his dirty jobs," she said with a short laugh. Gunther glanced up from the torn letter with an unblinking stare, but smiled a moment after. "You should get going. Do not want to keep him waiting, hm?"

"Of course not, " he mused, crumpling the pieces of paper in his fist. "Try not to get bored without me, will you?"

Jane tilted her head with annoyance. "It is much better without you anyway, dog!" she hollered as he approached the drawbridge. He looked back, chuckling, then raised his hand to acknowledge her insult. Then he disappeared to the town.

 _Stupid Gunther... trying to make a fool out of me_ , Jane hissed under her breath. At least Sir Theodore and Sir Ivon were in the court room. Surely Sir Theodore must of stopped them by now. Oh, the things squires do when their mentor is not around. Smithy could not help but laugh after their little scene. "Where is Dragon? Usually he is with you in the morning."

"Possibly sleeping in his cave, the little party we threw last night did drive him away to peace and quiet. We flew for a couple hours straight before that to patrol, so the green lizard must be tired," she explained. She sighed, exhausted from the minutes of training with Gunther. "Where are the others?"

"Do you need to ask?"

"Right," Jane replied. "Rake in the royal garden, Pepper in the kitchen. What about Jester?"

"Most likely in the Prince and Princess's quarters. What will you do?"

Jane shrugged, looking towards the clear sky. "Do not know. Dragon is not here so I can patrol. Do you need help in the stable..." She trailed off when her nose caught a familiar scent. "...Smithy, the flames in your forge are creating a hefty sum of smoke, is it not? I can smell it from here."

He also stared to where Jane was continuously gazing. "I see no smoke. And besides, the forge is still cold."

"What?" Jane asked, "but it smells of thin smoke. Odd, I see no fire."

"Perhaps the boredom has gotten to your head," Smithy jested, raising his hammer and letting it fall on the shaped metal. Smithy was partially right; Jane was awfully bored, and it has currently been an unproductive morning.

Jane leaned against the castle wall near her dummy. "Mm, I should train then."

Still, the scent of smog bothered her. It was not until almost an hour later, the smoke would lead to something worse.

"Jane!" Gunther had called out in strained breaths. "Enemies spotted approaching the village!"


	2. Prelude II: The Mountain Chase

_lol i have a thing for jane and gunther smacking each other in the butt with wooden swords (episodes tooth fairy and mismatched)_

* * *

PRELUDE II: THE MOUNTAIN CHASE

* * *

Nobody, not even the king, had predicted an invasion in his prospering kingdom. There was not a worry nor a great deal of certainty that there would be war, so early in the morning, too. It all started when Gunther Breech, a young man from the village training to be a knight had sped uphill towards the kingdom, shouting at the first person he saw; Jane.

"What do you want, biscuit-weevil?" Jane scoffed, not bothering to face her fellow squire as she mercilessly attacked the worn-out training dummy. "I have no time for - " She ducked, dodging the mace that swung her way. " - you! We have trained already, just..." Jane swung. "Quit!"

Despite it only being an hour since he parted for the village to help his father, they always found an excuse to bicker. Always.

But this time, it was far different than any argument. Gunther was anxious, with no intention to fight. He was worried, trembling out of fear? It was clearly obvious he was in a stew.

"Jane, please!" Gunther pressed, seizing her wooden sword after regaining lost oxygen. The distance from the castle and town was not very far, but he had been heaving and pushing precious cargo from the orders of his father, so he was extremely exhausted.

Jane widened her eyes as her bothersome partner yanked the wood from her fingers. If the sword were real, his palm would have been sputtering blood, but currently that was the least of his concerns. Unfortunately the practice sword has been regularly used (most likely by Jane), so the splinters dug harshly into the young man's fingers. He winced, dropping the sword to step forward and clench Jane's shoulders. "Jane, listen! Enemies have been spotted approaching the village!"

"What?" she muttered in disbelief. Had she heard right? Gunther always rambled a bunch of poppycock, but seeing how distressed he was, she swallowed a sudden lump in her throat and clenched her fists.

'The kingdom was under attack.'

Sweat dripped down Gunther's forehead in thin rivulets, his face a dark shade of strawberry-red from the constant running up the steep hill. "You think I am jesting?" the squire hissed, releasing Jane. "Yes, knights from a different kingdom are approaching the village _as we speak!_ We need to tell the King!"

 _The kingdom is under attack._

Under _attack_.

Jane finally heard correctly, it was just difficult to comprehend and believe. Of all the years of peace and tranquillity, a hostile kingdom decides to cease the harmony.

They examined the courtyard to see if there was a soul to warn about the invasion, such as Smithy, but seeing the empty field of dirt, they both sprinted towards the Throne Room to seek Sir Theodore.

"Be cautious of what you spend, your Majesty, or the kingdom may be in debt. So - "

The doors slammed open to find a wheezing Gunther and Jane, both filthy from sweat and dirt from the courtyard. They almost collapsed on the stone ground, but they instantly caught themselves as they held onto the doors.

Sir Theodore raised his eyebrows. "Do you have an explanation for this rude interruption, squires?"

"The kingdom... the kingdom is..." Jane began, attempting to fill her lungs with air. Meanwhile, Gunther was pressed against the wall, head leaned back as he took long, deep breathes.

"Breathe, child!" Chamberlain exclaimed, rushing towards his daughter.

"...is under attack!" Gunther finished the sentence for her, sliding to the ground. He had not felt this tired since Sir Theodore forced him and Jane to run the entire perimeter of the castle to test their endurance - during sleeping hours, too.

"My kingdom is under attack?" King Caradoc raved, standing up from his throne. His wife followed along with an audible gasp.

Sir Theodore glanced at Sir Ivon, and the redheaded barbarian knew exactly what to do, as if a single look was his command. He dashed out of the courtroom and possibly ran towards the Knights Quarters, Jane guessed. "Good work, squires," he said. "Chamberlain, escort the Royal Family to the keep with the Lady-in-Waiting. Jane, where is your dragon?"

"Up on his mountain, sir!"

"Hurry and find him. Gunther, you will assist her, it is your job to have Jane safely guided to her dragon. Remember your training, we have no time for bickering. Your very lives are at stake, and so are your friends. Go!"

Jane nodded and did not wait for Gunther as he rose to his feet. She sped towards the Armoury, and as predicted, Sir Ivon was already outside with his many inventions. "Your weapons are in the chest, lads!" he called out to them, preparing his weapon that looked like a combination of a trebuchet and his _'_ _Bowling_ _Ball_ _of_ _Death_ _.'_

Jane quickly opened the wooden chest and reached for a sharpened sword. There was no time to slip on her suit of armour, let alone be picky with choosing a weapon.

She selected the lightest sword and attached the belt holding the sheathe to her skirt, tightened it, and tossed Gunther his own claymore.

"I would not be needing that, Jane," he said, acquiring his own bow. He slung the recurve bow over his shoulder and head, strapping a quiver to his back that hopefully held enough arrows for battle. "I will not be able to defend you on horseback with a gigantic piece of metal, now can I?"

"I guess not."

The knights had already taken all the available horses but one, leaving Sir Ivon at the gates and the rest of the guards surrounding the castle on foot. Smithy guided Cleaver towards Jane as Gunther gave him the most puzzled stare. "We cannot fit on one saddle, Smithy."

"Gunther is right." As much as Jane disliked admitting it. "We need two horses. Clover is still in her stable, right?"

Smithy scratched the back of his head. "Clover is more like a... pony. She cannot handle yours or Gunther's weight."

"Come on, Smithy, we do not have time." Gunther swung his leg over Cleaver's saddle and gripped the reins. "Jane needs Clover."

"As I said, Clover is a baby. Her legs will surely break from the weight," Smithy replied. "She is not ready. Like it or not, you two will need to share. Now excuse me as I join the others in the Keep."

"Wait!" Jane cried out, making Gunther groan. "Are the others all right?"

Smithy made sure Pig was by his side. "Yes, they are fine, now go!"

Nodding, Jane hesitated to take Gunther's arm to lift herself up, sitting awfully close in front of him. It would be more difficult for Gunther to fire his arrows if he was not in the rear, so he scoot back and unsheathed his bow, a single arrow nocked and ready. "Hold on," Jane said, flicking the reins. The steed stood on its hind legs, almost throwing Gunther off, and galloped through the drawbridge.

"Gunther, try not to fall, will you?" Jane told him as she tightly gripped the harness, fingernails digging into her palms. She was nervous all right.

The kingdom had uninvited guests making their way to the town, the only safe place being the castle, and yet here they were, vulnerable outside the castle walls.

"Gunther, status please," Jane said. "What do you see?"

"Um..." Gunther looked down, seeing they were already so far up on the mountain. "...cavalry. Lots of troops on foot, the front row consisting of archers. And... oh no... they are following us!"

"They are escaping on the mountain!" the enemy leader exclaimed, raising his arm as a sign to follow the two squires. "Get them!"

Albeit they were high up on the cliff, the military general's strong voice can be heard from below; it was surprising that Dragon had not come to their aid yet.

The sounds of hooves patting against the stone echoed from behind them. The cavalry soldiers were not yet at their heels, but they were close.

"Faster, Jane!" Gunther shouted.

Jane swallowed, saliva accumulated with her deep breaths. "I am trying!" she screamed back. "Make every shot count!"

Her hair blew in the wind like fire in Gunther's face, but he leaned back, careful not to slip off. He pulled his arm backwards and with no time to aim, he released the arrow.

Perfect accuracy. Gunther had always been advanced in archery, and now was the time to use his skills.

A rain of arrows darted towards them like a rainbow, but Cleaver sped up his pace and galloped up the slope. "Champion!" Gunther exclaimed after they successfully dodged the arrows.

"Good work with that bow, Gunther!" Jane said, raising her voice as battle cries began rattling the mountain. "We are almost there!"

Gunther again fired another arrow at lightning speed, watching it fly through the air and collide with an enemy knight.

"Almost - ah!" Jane yelped. Gunther leaned to the side to inspect the front portion of Jane, but there was nothing. "It is my leg, Gunther!"

He glanced down at her outburst and widened his eyes. "Oh no... Jane, please tell me you will hold a bit longer?"

Jane grit her teeth, fighting back the tears that began to blur her vision. _No_ _..._ _I_ _am n_ _ot_ _giving_ _up_ _yet_ _,_ _the_ _kingdom_ _is_ _counting_ _on me!_ _If_ _I_ _die_ _here_ _,_ _the_ _entire_ _kingdom_ _will_ _descend_ _to_ _entropy_ _._

 _I_ _am_ _a_ _knight_ _._ _I_ _must_ _fight_ _._ _I_ _am_ _a_ _..._

Jane swallowed nervously again, more sweat dripping down her face in her attempts to stay conscious. But the arrow was still plunged at the side of her calf, wiggling and digging deeper as their steed dashed with all his might.

Cleaver did not stop, and Gunther could not prevent Jane from slipping off, for he would have to abandon his weapon.

It was that when Jane became pale and she began to slump forward, Gunther had to make a decision.

Let Jane slip off Cleaver and abandon her in the dust?

Or drop his weapon and steer himself, leaving them defenceless?

Gunther's arms trembled as he reached for the reins, but his attempts were futile. Jane was on the verge of slipping off, and he was still debating on what to do.

Even if he decided to be heroic and leave Jane on the horse while Gunther stayed behind, there was no guarantee that she would remain on the saddle in her unconscious state. She could fall, possibly roll off the mountain after that. It would surely be unfortunate if that were to happen; both their lives would have gone to waste.

Gunther blinked away his frustrated tears (because to Gunther, knights do not cry), he made his choice.

As Jane's body leaned to the right, she eventually crashed to the ground with a painful thump, so audible it made Gunther wince. He managed to drag himself closer to the front and seize the reins.

Then he pulled, driving Cleaver to a halt.

"Jane!" Gunther yelled, even if he knew she could not hear him. He jumped off the horse and caught up with Jane, still holding onto his bow.

Enemy cries sounded, gradually catching up to their spot.

With a deep inhale, Gunther positioned his weapon and nocked an arrow.

 _Make_ _every_ _shot_ _count_ _,_ _Gunther_ _._

He nodded to the voice inside his head and exhaled, letting go of the nock once cavalry were seen approaching in the distance.

One down, so many to go...

Gunther fired another and another, but they still kept coming. When the coast was clear for a matter of six seconds, he switched positions and aimed at the remaining archers way below the mountain. He was not sure if he missed or not, but more horses were galloping. More enemies.

Gunther released one more arrow.

When the wounded knight fell along with his steed off the crumbling mountain, he reached for another to prepare for the next trooper.

His fingers met nothing, only air inside the quiver. "Maggots!" he cursed. "Way to put us through Shitwell Way, Jane," Gunther grumbled to the benumbed girl. He dropped to his knees and reached over her body to drag her to the side.

 _Never_ _pull_ _out_ _the_ _arrow_ _or_ _knife_ _until_ _there_ _is_ _a_ _magician_ _to_ _tend_ _the_ _wound_ _._ That was from an early archery lesson taught by Sir Ivon, and Gunther never forgot it.

His small chuckle from his memory interrupted a nervous exhale. He was so foolish in his early years, and he guessed he was still a fool to this day. (On second thought, being the fool was Jester's job.)

And Jane was still a stubborn pig.

More troops on horseback. As Gunther swiped Jane's sword from her sheathe, he tightly gripped the helve and prepared for the worst. He had never been in an actual battle before, and he did not like feeling the rush of adrenalin. His legs were shaking. He felt like crying, surrendering. There was no promise he would live.

But he was a warrior.

As the knight proceeded closer and closer, Gunther swore he heard laughter through his metal helmet. Gunther felt petty compared to the knight in shining armour.

"What is _this?"_ the knight asked, voice muffled through the helm. "We were chasing children all this time?"

"We are not children," Gunther replied, tightening both hands on Jane's sword. "We are knights."

Gunther did not back away in fear when the knight in front of him unsheathed his own blade. It was much bigger and decorated with smears of blood.

Gunther felt sick to his stomach.

The knight noticed his uneasy opponent, and laughed a while longer. "A sorry excuse for a warrior. If you do despise me and my comrades for wounding your partner, then try," he told Gunther. "Try to attack me, petty warrior."

Gunther stood protectively in front of Jane, and averted his eyes to glance at her pale features. His grey orbs rose again to his enemy, eyebrows furrowed and eyes full with determination. ''A warrior does not fight because he hates what is in front of him," he sternly asserted, "...but because he loves what is behind him."


	3. Prelude III: Charcoal

_i've been inspired by KnifeintheCrayonbox's youtube videos :D_

* * *

PRELUDE III: CHARCOAL

* * *

The rocks beneath the two began to quake - Gunther felt it of course, his feet were firmly planted on the ground, and the knight's horse began to softly neigh in response to the abnormal shaking of the mountain. The knight felt nothing, only Gunther's fear.

There was another light rumble. Pebbles from the summit fell to the ground, and Gunther realised they must be over a cliff with very little support under it, much like thin ice. Discreetly, he tapped his toes on the mountain grounds, guessing what felt safe.

But why was the mountain so weak to support their weight? Was there an earthquake?

It felt like a giant was stomping on the peak of the mountain, and the further it continued, the more the knight's horse and Cleaver began to squeal and panic. "Woah there!" his opponent harshly said to his steed. He was eventually thrown to the ground as the animal bucked him off, then galloped away with Cleaver. Both their horses descended the slope with a dash.

Unfortunately, the warrior recovered quickly. He stood up with ease despite his heavy armour, and gripped the sword once again. Gunther cursed under his breath on why he did not attack him while he was down, but he pictured all the unlimited scenarios. Where would he strike? The knight was basically covered in metal. "I guess we shall spar, then, child." He chuckled, adjusting his stance as he ignored the slight pain from where he fell. "A fair fight, yes?"

 _In the arena, you can fight for yourself. In the field, you fight for your colleagues._

Gunther took a deep breath, wrapping sweaty fingers on the hilt. Rumbling. He felt rocks crash against his head, but he disregarded the slight pain it gave him and swallowed nervously.

He stepped back, a large space between the knight and the squire. "I can see you trembling, young knight." Gunther felt he was smiling under his helmet. "Do not fret. I will give you an honourable death - because you will be slain by me. I cannot guarantee it will be painless, however."

The knight paused. Gunther pursed his lips, and now, his legs felt as if they were pudding. Noticing he was not speaking, the enemy continued. "You did not have a chance anyway, boy; there is no place to strike me. My armour cannot be penetrated."

Suddenly, his face described pure horror, eyes widened, jaw dropped, and he miraculously dropped his weapon. But then Gunther realised he was not looking at him, out of fear.

The terrified knight was gaping at the _something_ behind Gunther.

A warm, sticky, and wet gust of air pressed against Gunther's head, but he did not turn around. All of Gunther's fright disappeared, he just hoped it was what he thought.

"Step aside, short life."

Gunther did as he was told, hauling Jane over his shoulder without sparing a glance at Dragon - the green lizard was threatening enough, but when he was furious? Gunther did not want to see him in the current state, especially since he could already feel the hot breath on his skin.

He was now behind the giant beast, feeling a tad victorious when the knight was frozen with stutters. "Cannot be penetrated, hm? Well can it be burned?"

"D-D-D..." The knight's hand began to raise, his finger pointing to the outraged creature. "Dragon!"

When he was roasted into charcoal by Dragon, the rest of the cavalry began to arrive. The men's horses all had the same reaction, their horses all wiping them out by throwing them off their backs in fear of the dragon. Three fell off the cliff, two were set to flames with their metal armour melted, but there was just one left, his back to the ground.

The cavalry soldier gasped, screaming, crying, and begging. "Monster!"

"You hurt my friend," Dragon growled, head and scaly arms bent in a predator stance. "And I am an angry, angry monster."

"No! Get back, d-d-d - "

Suddenly, Dragon rose, head perked up in annoyance. "Really, is it that difficult to say my name? Sound it out! D-D-Drag," Dragon said, enunciating the word. " - gon. Dragon. Shortlife, is it really that strenuous to say my name?"

When Dragon looked back to Gunther with eyes that do not bear a single hint of malice, Gunher shook his head in response to the dragon's question. "No, but when you wreck the entire castle, yes, it is quite grueling," Gunther jested, no longer afraid.

Oddly, Dragon felt something as small as a toothpick consistently hitting his skin. He gazed back to the soldier on the ground, but he was not there. Instead, he was attempting to stab Dragon with his sword, but to no avail, the tip could not puncture Dragon's tough scales. It did leave a miniature cut (or a dent in the scale), but it was not at all serious. "Still trying, shortlife?" Dragon asked. He placed his index and thumb together, and proceeded to flick the knight to the ground once again. "You can have him, Gunther.

Gunther nodded with a smile, approaching the soldier. "Yah!" he screeched, plunging the sword into an open spot of the knight's armour, which was his neck.

Blood stained the ground, the red fluid splattering messier than Gunther imagined. It looked like red berries have been squashed on this portion of the mountain.

Gunther wiped the sticky liquid on his knights tunic, causing a red and brown smear on the side of his clothes. That did not matter, what did is that the army must be slaughtering the villagers and breaching the castle. They did not have much time to waste, and the coast was clear — for now. More enemies were chasing after them, but they were downhill, even on horseback they would not catch up to Gunther.

Gunther closed his eyes, wiping his nose with his sleeve and sniffed. He killed the enemy. With the help of Dragon, of course.

"Nice job, shortlife," Dragon said.

"Thank you," Gunther sighed.

Slowly, Jane woke to a dragon and her annoying partner staring down at her wellbeing. "Invasion!" she screamed and sat up, startling Gunther, but gazed at the scene behind Dragon. "What happened - ooh, my leg." She groaned. The arrow was still inside her calf, but that was preventing the blood from escaping. She knew that. Her mind returned to Earth and finally, she acknowledged Dragon.

"Let us go, Jane, the rest of the army must be at the castle by now," Gunther warned, helping her up on Dragon.

He felt good. Not that he enjoyed the fact he took away one's life, but he did it protecting someone he truly cared about.

Gunther pursed his lips at the thought. _Truly care?_ Mm, not quite. It was more like he would be genuinely sad if Jane were to perish, but he could honestly care less if this was a training exercise and they were not in a life-threatening situation.

After all, he did send Jane into a pitch-black maze with wolves wandering about after realising she was afraid of the dark for about a week, all when she was twelve. It was not his fondest memory since he ended up lost in the maze, but torturing Jane with an endless supply of insults and teasing was always fun.

"What will you do?" Jane asked, gripping Dragon's horns. Gunther shrugged.

"I will walk back. I have had enough action for one day."

Jane laughed. "There may be more troops waiting for you at the bottom of the mountain. I suggest you ride with me, and we will drop you into the castle."

Gunther blinked. "Drop?"

"Yes, Gunther. Drop," Jane repeated. "We do not have time to meddle; for all we know, the knights must be invading the castle! It is simple, and will not kill you. We simply drop you while we fly to not waste any more time."

"But - "

"Get on, shortlife," Dragon commanded the squire, who sheepishly stepped on with Jane's help. Gunther did as he was told, sitting behind Jane.

The ride to the castle was quick, unlike their hike up the mountain.

"Jane," Gunther murmured quietly.

"Yes?"

"When you do rid of the troops... save my father."

Jane furrowed her eyebrows. "Of course I will, it is my duty to protect the the kingdom and its people, but why do you care for your father so much? All he does is cause trouble, it is no wonder you are falling behind in your studies. He forces you to do his work, even making you do things that you do not want to do."

"Yes, but who do you think pays for my training?" Gunther sighed, his breath weaving through Jane's hair.

"He does..." Jane said.

"Yes. Although I do not like what he does, he is still my father."

Dragon snorted. "We know. We know it was your father who tried to get rid of me by firing flaming tar into a crop field, sabotaged Jane's chances of carrying the flag in Jubilee Day, stole my tooth more than I can count, covered himself in red forest berries to stage an act _I_ bit him, crushed his own supplies to blame it on me, but you took the blame for all of that."

Gunther sighed again, nodding. "I know, but he is the only one taking care of me. My mother is not around, so it is him or the slums."

Jane surveyed the area. Almost there. It was a bore when Gunther was miserable, and all the chatting took her mind off the singing pain in her leg. "Gunther, stop breathing down my neck and squirming." She added more of an aggravating tone to her voice, smirking. "Besides, your big nose is touching my hair, it is uncomfortable."

It was inevitable. Gunther chuckled. "Then get your hair out of my nose, wench," he retorted.

"Watch it, shortlife," Dragon hissed towards Gunther, large, copper eyeballs gazing up at the shortlives on his neck with his peripherals.

"Sorry."

When the castle was directly below them, Dragon straightened his entire body, retracted his wings, and dived in through the sky. Jane held on tightly, but Gunther squeezed onto her waist, shouting profanities as he did so. The speed was nothing to the redheaded girl, but to Gunther, he had never felt anything like this before. It was terrifying.

Right before hitting the ground, Jane unlocked his fingers around her torso and pushed him off, holding onto his hand before letting go. When Dragon was close enough to the keep, she released him, and Dragon returned to soaring.

Gunther stopped screaming after a couple seconds of touching the ground, embracing the impact of hitting the floor. He cupped his hands around his mouth and screaming the loudest he can, yelled, "Jane, you evil harpy!"

Jane waved her arm in response as he entered the keep, seeking shelter.

"Look Dragon, they are entering the drawbridge!" Jane shouted, pointing towards the entrance to the castle. The village had already been attacked, with majority of the people on their knees with soldiers standing behind them.

Dragon scoffed. "A puny army. Shortlives exaggerate so much."

Jane rolled her eyes. "To you, it is. To us shortlives, it is a powerful army that can slaughter the entire kingdom within hours." She inspected the grounds, close enough to see the troops were screaming bloody cries after seeing Dragon soar above the town. "Do not harm the townspeople."

Dragon nodded, seeing which ones were the enemies before swooping down to breathe an inferno. "Say the word, Jane, and the puny shortlives are charcoal."

Jane smiled.

"Charcoal."

 **END OF PRELUDE**

* * *

 _Thank you for the reviews: Kyra4 and Anonymous!_

 _i hope i didn't screw up Dragon's character. it's actually fun writing this, and i included some references of episodes. why didn't they make a season II ;-; also, does anyone know where i can find the soundtrack? I specifically want the music from the episode where Dragon has curly tail, where jane is jumping on the ledge with the stick to get the skyleaf. I also want the song in the same episode where gunther leaves jane to get help. i tried emailing the composers, and i even read the credits to try and find the people who made the music. so far, they haven't replied D;_


	4. Chapter I: Rude Awakenings

_so tempted to make this fanfic rated s M. beware of the jokes in this chapter_

* * *

CHAPTER I: RUDE AWAKENINGS

* * *

"Jane, Jane!" a high squeal emanated from the courtyard and echoed throughout the Royal Garden as the adolescent Majesty skipped towards a hard-working Rake. She came to a sudden halt as he finished burying the compost, which she did not mind at all. "Where is Jane, gardener? I have been scouring every crook and cranny and fought several monsters to find her. But she is nowhere to be found."

Rake smiled softly. "Did you, Princess?"

"I did," she replied.

Princess Lavinia was no more a 'little Majesty.' Seeing Jane as a strong, mature lady knight (even if she was still training and had lots to learn), she decided to fall in her footsteps and slowly began to dislike being called little, like Jane. All her teeth have fallen out and she no longer sleeps with Princess Dahlia, her stuffed rabbit (although sometimes she cannot help it). Her crafted dragon wings no longer fit her, but she now has a crown covered in dragon scales, also created by Smithy with the help of Dragon's itchy scute. Her black hair is now cascading down to her back with a crown braid, her grown appearance changing quite a bit over the course of the years.

But alas, Lavinia was still ten years old.

And ten-year-olds can be very impatient.

Rake remains fragile and tall, but he does prove his strength to Pepper when he has the chance, like pulling weeds from the garden and handling hard hours of garden work. Nobody had changed. Their appearance slightly altered, but their work and traits never did. Jester is still Jester, Jethro is still Smithy, Drake is still Rake, Verbena is still Pepper...

Either way, the castle staff was glad, but always a tad paranoid that they would leave to another kingdom, or that they may be separated one day after years of being together.

"Well, I suppose you can search in the Knights Quarters, that is where you normally find her," Rake said. "Or aiding the townspeople, a lot of them di— "

The gardener paused. Would the queen approve of Lavinia hearing such sad news of death?

" —died? Yes, I know, Rake," she answered him. "I do know that, after the invasion."

Oh.

"It was very frightening, yes it was!" Lavinia cried out. " —not for me, though, I was not scared... but you were!"

Rake blinked from the memory. He was terrified indeed, whilst inside the Keep with everyone in the castle. They heard the clashing of swords from above and battle cries of enemy soldiers, it was truly terrifying and a distressing moment for the castle's inabitants. Rake did want to say that Princess Lavinia was frightened as well, not just him, but she was only proving that she was brave. So, he refrained.

"I will find Jane now," the princess declared and went off on her journey to find her red-headed friend.

Sure enough, Jane was inside the Knights Quarters with Gunther and Sir Theodore. She did not bother to knock and pulled the latches on the doors. The three did not acknowledge her presence as she walked in, as Sir Theodore was showing them some sort of map.

"Hello," said the princess.

"...that way, you two will provide defence for the castle while we are on our mission. You— ah, Princess Lavinia." Sir Theodore looked up from the table and both the squires spun around to bow. "What brings you here, milady?"

"I just wanted to find Jane," she said calmly, realising she interrupted a lesson. "What are you teaching them now, Sir Theodore? And please do not lie for my sake; I am not so little anymore. I am aware of what you all talk about."

Jane raised an eyebrow, seeing how long she could keep up with her mature façade. "You sure have grown, your Majesty."

Princess Lavinia giggled, swinging her arms at the compliment. She did love when people commented on her grown self, and expected Gunther to do it, too.

"Oh - yes, you have the grace and beauty of your mother, Princess," Gunther stuttered subsequently after the princess's stare.

Sir Theodore chuckled, his voice raspy from age. "Well, young Majesty, I was just discussing the castle's defences to Jane and Gunther. Sir Ivon and I will search for the hostile kingdom who attacked us a week ago, and they will be in charge of making sure the kingdom is safe."

"That is an awfully important job for only two knights," Gunther murmured.

Princess Lavinia laughed. "It is not so bad when you have Jane, Gunther! Jane is a brave knight. You are very lucky to have her by your side."

"Jane's patrol schedule will be more frequent. Gunther will scout from the ground, Jane and her dragon in the skies. It is their job to work together and communicate if there's another raid," said Sir Theodore.

"Would it not be easier if Dragon were to find the kingdom instead?" Lavinia asked. Jane smiled at how cute the prncess was.

"It would be much easier, but we are aiming for peace with the Trustinall Kingdom," the knight answered. "Dragon had already wiped out their army, I doubt they would want to see him again."

"Trustinall?" the squires and Lavinia echoed.

Sir Theodore nodded, pointing towards an undiscovered area on the map. "A kingdom south of here, ruled by a Queen. It is said she is a fair and gentle ruler, so it is confusing why she would send her troops to the nearest kingdom. Sir Ivon and I will investigate at dawn. It is Gunther and Jane's job to defend the castle while we are gone."

Jane and Gunther bowed their heads, acknowledging their task. "And Princess Lavinia..." Sir Theodore added. "Will you do the honour of making sure they are fulfilling their orders?"

With that, the princess brightened with joy, her round eyes widening in delight that she began to jump in place. "Yes, I will! I swear it!" She then faced the two squires, strictly pointing at them with her index finger. "It is my duty to make sure you do your job!"

"Here here!" they chanted, kneeling before their little ruler.

* * *

The next day, Princess Lavinia awakened surprisingly early than her usual rising hour. She had gotten dressed herself without the Lady-in-Waiting's help, fixed her hair, and rushed out the quarters without a morning bath.

Soft padding against Jane's door alerted Dragon. He turned his neck around the tower and raised an eyelid. "You are up early, Princess."

"I know," she stated with her proudest stance. "I have to make sure Jane and Gunther do their duties. You too, Dragon."

"Me as well?"

"You as well."

"For what purpose?"

Princess Lavinia giggled. "Sir Theodore and Sir Ivon are going to do a quest. It is up to me to make sure you and Jane are scouting the kingdom."

Dragon tilted his head, pointing his claw towards the village. "And what about the other short-life?"

"Gunther will be watching on foot!"

"I see. So when do I set off?"

"Right this instant." The Princess resumed to knocking on the door, her small knuckle colliding with the wood.

Dragon chuckled. "Allow me to help." Knowing Jane's shutters were rarely locked, he opened it with ease and stuck his head inside her tower. "Wake up, hog! Hey, you old strumpet, get out of bed!"

Alas, the firey-headed knight was still snoozing. Dragon glanced towards the little lady. "By God's bones..." he muttered. "Let's try a different approach."

Princess Lavinia nodded, unknowingly agreeing to what Dragon had in mind. "A different approach, then."

Dragon inhaled, and for a second, the princess thought he was going to burn the tower to ashes, including Jane.

Instead, when the overgrown beast opened his mouth, his whole snout in Jane's room, he shouted: "JANE AND GUNTHER MAKE SUCH A CUTE COUPLE!"

Instantly, Jane shot up from her slumber. "We do not!" she seethed, fur covers kicked off the bed. "Dragon, you impertinent, yard-sucking lizard!"

"Lizards do tend to have flexible tongues," Dragon added as an afterthought. "But I do advise you to watch your own tongue. Perhaps there is a lurking princess."

"Oh, Dragon," Jane sighed, closing the shutters to dress out of her nightwear. The green beast retracted his neck out the window and glanced to Princess Lavinia who was quietly waiting outside the door. "Stop being a dringling fob and wait. Besides, it is not the royal children's wakening times. It is far too early -"

A giggle sounded from outside Jane's door, causing her to immediately bite her tongue. "Have you forgotten, Jane?" Princess Lavinia asked after Jane's pause. "I am here to make sure you do your job."

"P-Princess!" Jane quickly changed into her tunic and pushed the latch and bowed. "G-Good day! I do apologise for my language, I only request you do not repeat what came out of my mouth."

"Jane, what does it mean to suck a yard?"

Dragon snickered as he flew to the floors of the courtyard. "It is called fellatio. It is when a short-life kneels before another short-life and -"

"Dragon!" Jane groaned, ushering the Princess away from the foul-mouthed lizard. "Let us go, your Majesty. Will the Queen allow you into the village?"

"If she is with you, then it is all right," a low, gentle voice sounded as footsteps approached them. Jane widened her eyes and bowed, then rose when Queen Gwendolyn raised her hand. "But do be careful, and keep my child safe. Keep her close to you at all times," she said sternly, embracing her daughter before departing. "But what is your reason for going into the village?"

"To wake up Gunther," Princess Lavinia informed her mother, giggling. "I am in charge of the squires; Sir Theodore said so."

"Did he now?" the Queen softly laughed, covering her mouth as she did so. Queen Gwendolyn unfortunately remained self-conscious of her looks, but slightly learned to realise she was as beautiful as people make her out to be. She did not fully grin in public nor did she blow her nose, for she despised her laugh lines and unladylike blow to the nose. "Very well."

Jane nodded, holding the Princess's little hand as they exited the castle and into the town. "Do you know where Gunther lives, Jane?" Princess Lavinia asked. "Have you been there?"

"Once," Jane replied.

"Was it romantic?"

Jane averted her eyes towards the ground. It wasn't very romantic, more like a nightmare. She blushed, only because the Princess assumed such things (and was even aware of such topics!)

In truth, going into Gunther's home was a task given to her by Sir Theodore. She was to assist his father with his merchant duties and help out the townspeople to serve her own duty as a Knight. Knights would have to fulfill all the virtues that were expected of them, even if it meant entering their archenemy's living quarters.

So in conclusion, it was not very romantic to be inside Gunther's house. But, it had all the factors of a romance; sweat, heavy breaths, and moans (of exhaustion). Silly Princess and her innocent mind.

As the two girls and a beast walked towards Gunther's house, most of the other villagers' homes have been burned or broken by the invasion that occurred days ago. Farms were ransacked and their fields were stepped on, ruining the King's favourite: Cabbages.

They approached Gunther's door and pushed it open, seeing it was not locked. Careless as always. Jane sighed, placing a finger over her lips. The princess nodded and silently giggled.

As they tiptoed towards the sleeping squire's room, they circled around his bed. He was hugging his pillow and his leg was spread out to the point it was not even on the bed anymore. He snored too, so loud that Dragon could hear it from the window. The civilians did not mind the monstrous beast outside Gunther's home - they were far from frightened. Although few despised Dragon and his big mouth, majority did not mind... even if it did take a few years to manage.

Jane raised her three fingers, initiating a countdown. She mouthed three, two, one before they cupped their hands around their mouths and screamed, "Wake up, Gunther!"

The girls started giggling as Gunther gasped, kicking his feet and reaching for his wooden sword simultaneously.

"We did it Jane, we did it!" the Princess cried, raising her arms in victory.

Gunther inhaled through his nose, lowering the sword towards the rude awakening. "What?" he seethed, but did not say any more when he realised the Princess was in their presence. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I am here to make sure you do your duties, Gunther," she reminded him. "Right, Jane?"

"Indeed, Princess," Jane agreed. Gunther glared towards his partner, refraining from cursing at her like he usually would - but children were tattletales. "Do not feel so special; I had a rude awakening as well."

"Dragon helped me," said Princess Lavinia. "He also told me about fellatio. Do you know what that is, Gunther?"

Stare.

Jane felt her heart skip a beat, and there went Dragon's laughter once again.

What are you teaching her? Gunther mouthed to Jane.

I did not teach her, Dragon did! She mouthed back.

Gunther slapped his palm against his face, closing his eyes for a long second before heavily sighing. "First, Princess, what do you know...?"

The two squires both widened their eyes as she explained it all. "Dragon told me it was when a short-life kneels before another short-life. I did not get to hear the full meaning."

"It is better that way..." Gunther muttered under his breath, shifting in a sitting position on his bed.

"Dragon also told me the village girls do that to you, Gunther!" Princess Lavinia announced. Gunther faded to pale, then darkened to a bright red.

Dragon's laughter echoed throughout the town. Jane and Gunther exchanged looks.

Soon, the red-head raised her own eyebrow. "Do they, Gunther?" she asked in a tease.

"No!" Gunther shouted angrily, annoyed of his fellow squire. "Jane, tell your lizard to stop feeding the Princess with lies!"

"Dragon does not lie," Princess Lavinia stated calmly, raising her eyebrows at Gunther's outburst.

He wanted to curse at Jane, but he could not with the Princess involved. He lowered his head and sighed. "Very well. You win. What are we doing today?"

"Sir Ivon and Sir Theodore must be leaving now," Jane said, sauntering out the door. "Let us bid them farewell. Get up, Gunther, or are you hiding one of those village girls under your bed?"

The Princess, having no clue what she was talking about, said, "Yes Gunther, are you?"

"No!" he snapped, throwing his shoe at Jane as she ushered the Princess outside. He sighed right after they gave him his privacy. "Girls..." he muttered.

When Gunther was up and ready, the group head towards the the entrance of the village where the elder knights would be before they left.

Sir Ivon and Sir Theodore were already on horses, just preparing to depart from Kippernium.

Gunther sighed once again. "Jane, I know it is a little late, but should you really be walking?"

Jane glanced down to her calf, the bandages clean and already changed. "Of course. Though it does hurt now, I can withstand it. It is not so bad."

Her partner sighed with relief, but retained an I do not care face.

"However..." she added as an afterthought. "If it were you in the situation, arrow in your calf and all, you would still be whining like a baby. Possibly use your temporary disability as an excuse not to work."

"Hog. You speak poppycock," Gunther hissed, distancing himself away. Dragon snorted, strolling beside them without his tail smashing anything. Fortunately, he learned not to be so destructive.

Sir Theodore chuckled whilst up on his steed, making him look like the classic knight in shining armour. "What are you whispering about, squires? Demeaning each other so early in the morning?"

"The usual," Sir Ivon murmured. "Have not changed since they were lads."

"You will be going to a kingdom, yes?" Jane asked.

Theodore nodded. "It is called the Trustinall Kingdom. Once we find it, we will draw it on our map. Hopefully we will be able to make peace with them."

"It does not sound like a mean kingdom," said the Princess. "It is ruled by a Queen, yes? Is she pretty? Very very pretty?"

"That I do not know," he replied. "But if there is a future heir to inhabit her throne as King, perhaps you will be sent to court him... if we do find peace."

"What is your gift?" Jane asked.

"Books. There are many scribes in the kingdom, perhaps it will be some use." He fastened the reigns and flicked it. "Protect the kingdom at all costs, knights. This is not to fool around."

"Yes sir!"

Then they left, galloping down the trail, following the river going south.

"Now, my knights, I have some work for you!" the Princess cried out.

And so they returned to the castle, taking part in long hours of a tea party and unicorns with their favourite Princess.

* * *

 _Thank you for the reviews: Anonymous, Kyra4, and SunRise19!_

 _so many sex jokes in here ahhaahahah. should i include the church in this fanfiction, since religion was a big deal in the middle ages, or just not mention it? i do love reviews and outputs, and i dearly hope no children are reading this... lol_


	5. Chapter II: A Kingdom in Need

_I BET YOU THOUGHT YOU'VE SEEN THE LAST OF ME!_

 _I'm baack ~ and oh maan I love the OST to J &D so much ;-; unfortunately, I am unable to retrieve it because TTG Music Lab said they can't release the album. nOooooOOOO- I'm pretty sure I bothered the hell out of them though. The story of the story was- I didn't know who were the composers of J&D so I tried messaging Tajja Isen, the VA of Jane but I couldn't find her contact info. (I would've done IMDb, but I had to pay to get their contact). It was difficult, but I managed to send her a message. She didn't respond ( because she's now a writer!). So I went to Adrian Truss, and surprisingly, he responded! He was nice about it, too. I was really embarrassed because I prooooobably seemed like a creeper... BUT I was desperate to find the OST. I didn't want to be a nuisance so I asked only two questions: Why did they discontinue and where was the soundtrack?_

 _1."They stopped making J & D mostly because of finances. I don't know if you're aware of it (you can certainly see it) but the techniques used in the show are very expensive and give it that very unique look. It was mostly done in New Zealand by the same folks who animate Lord of the Rings and such. In order to continue doing the show they would have had to have major foreign sales (mainstream U.S. for instance) and it just didn't happen. A shame because it truly was a special kind of series, wasn't it? One of my favourites to work on for sure."_

 _2\. Mr. Truss found the composers pretty easily. They're a Canadian group called TTG Music Lab._

 _So I emailed TTG (again), thought it was inactive so I quit with the email. Well shite, right? So I moved onto Susan Muse, the VA of Pepper. (I sound so desperate at this point but I guess I am. I just didn't want to bother Adrian Truss anymore). Anyway, she didn't respond either so I then recourse to calling TTG by their actual number. Funny thing is, I had a face mask on so I could barely move my lips... first I called once on a Sunday, no response. Then I call today, on Monday! (If I finish writing this chapter by today then it'll still be monday... lol) Aaand they finally respond! (note this was in december 2016... i never bothered to finish this chapter and now it's 2017 lol)_

 _Awesome. They said they had a lot of fun composing J &D, which made me really happy. Now sadly... they cannot release the soundtrack. So, if you guys were wondering why there wasn't a season 2 and why there is no OST released, that is why! I wish I asked if they can ever retrieve it for me, but I don't want to call again because I'm embarrassed I seem like a pest xD oops.._

 _AND ANOTHER THING! It's been like a year since I wrote this but I hope you didn't forget about A Kingdom in Need ~_

 _Update: So then I called Nirvana... lol... and it took some time to explain that I only want the J &D soundtrack. They said they'll get back to me later. A couple days after, the VA of Pepper, Miss Muse told me she didn't know where to find the contract. That was fine, I found them anyway. A few MORE days after, I began to feel impatient and gave up. But hey, after some time, Nirvana called back and I was so excited._

 _Buuuut then they told me they didn't have the soundtrack. I want to call TTG again, but... nah. I tried._

 _TL;DR: Tried getting JatD OST and couldn't._

* * *

CHAPTER II:

* * *

 _Knock knock._

"Enter, ye who dare," Jane declared absentmindedly. "Who is it?"

A voice roared at her door. "I am the cold of space, the terror of midnight - a perfect, cloudless midnight, cold as winter ice and shrouded in shadow. It is I, Princess Lavinia!"

The door opened, creaking as it swung. "And me," Gunther moaned from behind the princess. "Princess, are we finished? We've been playing this game for four days now."

Jane snorted. "Gunther, what are you wearing?"

"Apparently I am a dark witch. She insisted that she plays the lady fighter."

"You mean a knight, Gunther. Women can be knights, too."

Gunther breathed out through his nose. "They really can't..." he muttered as Jane shot him a death glare. Unfortunately, his comment was within earshot and the princess had heard.

"I am actually an assassin, witch," Lavinia told him, swinging her wooden dagger, "and that is not true. Women can be knights. Marie-Angélique Duchemin was a successful lady knight! Jane will be the next."

Jane nodded. "Indeed, Princess. Then you can be my squire."

"Really?" she cried out, eyes widening with pride. Princess Lavinia constantly switched occupations, from being a cook like Pepper or becoming a mermaid, but her heart was set on knighthood like Jane.

It was likely not possible, but the castle staff would not want to crush a 10-year-old's dreams.

"Really," Jane reassured, "I will teach you everything I know. Promise."

Gunther scoffed. "So you will teach her nothing?"

"Silence, witch," snapped Lavinia, still in her roleplay world, "Jane is a very experienced knight and I do trust her to protect and teach me how to fight and... and..." The princess reddened in embarrassment.

Jane sighed with a smile. "Yes, your majesty. I will still have tea parties with you."

"And with actual tea, too!" she replied, "Mother is letting me drink tea now instead of milk and honey."

"What a mature young lady you are, Princess," Gunther chuckled, "now can I stop being an evil witch?"

Lavinia shook her head. "Oh no Gunther, you misunderstand. You are a good witch. I am an assassin trying to kill you."

The knight paled. "That is... awfully morbid. And I assume you are trying to kill me with the dagger?"

She nodded ecstatically.

Jane snorted at the princess's vim of youth. "Oh Princess, your - "

Shouts were heard from outside, alerting the three inside the keep. Gunther rushed to the shutters overlooking the courtyard. "Jane," he breathed out, warning her, but she was already up and ready to investigate.

"Stay in here, your Majesty," he warned, closing the door behind him as he followed Jane down the staircase. Was there another invasion?

When they reached the courtyard, half of the castle staff surrounded Sir Ivon and Sir Theodore. Craning their necks, the squires noticed Sir Theodore was on the ground, hand cupped at his side. "Bring me the Dwale potion!" their magician shouted.

Jane dashed to his side. "Sir Merek, what happened?"

The wizard did not face Jane while he spoke. "We do not know yet, but an arrow is buried within Sir Theodore."

Smithy rushed over with Dwale, an anaesthetic potion that induced sleep. The magician, Merek, opened the bottle and held it to the knight's lips.

"Wait," Sir Theodore rose his free hand that was covered in blood. "Jane, Gunther."

"Yes sir!" they both called out, kneeling for the old man's brittle words. Gunther cringed. He could not bear to see his knight suffering at the hands of an enemy, and Sir Theodore could not bear to see his squires worried for him.

"Come here..." Blood trickled down the man's lips and dripped through his beard, but that did not stop him from speaking. "They recognised us. Survivors of the raid knew who we were," Sir Theodore told the squires, his words thinning to a wheeze. "You two must go. They will not attack you. Use what you need."

Gunther clenched his fists. "Sir, you want us to go back? Why? That is a death wish!"

Sir Theodore opened his eyes even more just to glare at his squire. "The kingdom is in need. And Dragon."

"Dragon?" Jane repeated, "what about Dragon?"

"Secrets... they know of dragons," the knight whispered before the anaesthesia potion was forced between his lips. His words quickened at the limited time he had to relay information. "Find out... what is happening... save Kippernium..."

Sir Theodore's head turned to the side as he drifted into sleep. All his muscles relaxed and it gave on the impression that he was dead. Jane and Gunther felt their heart sink. "Take him to my quarters," Merek commanded Sir Ivon, "I will operate on him at once."

With that, Smithy immediately began wheeling in a cart and also tended to Sir Ivon's minor cuts. Pepper was ordered to brew tea to calm everyone inside the castle. Meanwhile, Jester was to compose the most peaceful songs he can imagine - the castle was still in shock of Sir Theodore's injury.

"Sir Ivon, what exactly happened?" Jane asked the round knight, hoping he wouldn't refuse to tell them.

Instead, he shook his head in dismay, bringing his hand to his mustache. "Soon as we got to the gates, guards shouted at us from the barbican. First they did not recognise us, but one did. Said we were the ones with the dragon that slaughtered their army. Then they attacked."

Sir Ivon sighed and lift Sir Theodore onto the cart. Jane and Gunther exchanged unsettled looks, then turned to the wizard.

"Wait!" Gunther cried, "did you not show them your peace offering?"

"Did you not think we tried that, you stupid lad? 'Course we did, but they did not listen. We even offered Princess Lavinia's hand in marriage, but the guards told us the Queen does not practice lesbianism. That was a mistake on my part. I had forgotten there was no male heir."

Gunther snorted. "Then what?"

"We intended to tell them we were from Kippernium, but they recognised us first and accused us of trying to infiltrate their kingdom so Dragon can attack." He sighed, glancing to Sir Theodore. The old man seemed dead. "Excuse me, lads."

Jane and Gunther stepped to the side, allowing the cart to pass. "I will do my best to remove the arrow," Merek reassured the squires. He placed the potion in the pocket of his robes.

Gunther nervously swallowed. The magician was not an intimidating man, but he was believed to do many things. Gunther felt uneasy speaking to Sir Merek, especially since he did not trust the Breech family. "Um, what is in the Dwale potion? Will it heal Sir Theodore?"

"No, young one," said the wizard, "the juice puts one in a deep sleep so I can perform surgery on the wound. It will be painless for Sir Theodore. Hopefully," he informed them, ready to follow Sir Ivon into his keep, "it is a concoction of lettuce juice, gall from a castrated boar, briony, opium, henbane, hemlock juice, and vinegar. I mix it with wine before serving it."

Gunther took a deep breath, the vision of a lifeless Sir Theodore engraved in his mind. "Please save him, Sir Merek. We are counting on you."

The magician nodded. "I will do my best..." His eyes then wandered to Gunther's armour and furrowed his eyebrows. "Gunther, what are you wearing?"

"Oh - " the squire muttered, face darkening to red, "this is, uh - "

"He is a witch," called a voice from someone significantly shorter than them. Princess Lavinia had arrived. "And I am an assassin." Grimacing, her attention lowered to the ground. "And that is a lot of blood. Whose is it?"

Sir Merek bowed before answering. "Sir Theodore's, your Highness."

"Will he be okay?"

There was a pause, but the magician forced out his answer, seeing that Jane and Gunther were present, too. "Yes. He will."

Then he left to the castle, leaving the three in the bloody courtyard.

Gunther took off the shaggy black dress that hung over his armour. "Princess, why did you not stay in the keep?"

"I did not want to," she said, clicking her toes against the heels of her shoe. "I was curious. But I must leave to my mother now. I do not want her to know I saw what happened. And Jane..."

"Yes, Princess?"

"I heard I must marry soon. I overheard Sir Ivon, but I do not want to yet - I do not want to leave the kingdom. I want to be a knight. Keep the promise of me becoming your squire, okay Jane?"

Jane lowered her head and bowed. "Yes, your Majesty. Until it is your time to court, you will be my squire."

Princess Lavinia cheered and ran off to the palace, where she joined her family and caregivers.

Gunther scoffed. "She would be better off with a knight like me."

"Do shut up," Jane chuckled before waving to Dragon, who flew above their heads and into the courtyard.

"By God's bones, shortlives!" Dragon shouted from the sky. "That is _a lot_ of blood."

Jane rubbed her eyes as Dragon landed with a cloud of dust. "I know. We have to clean it up."

"Whose blood?"

"Dragon, please," Gunther grumbled, placing his hand against the back of his neck.

"Sir Theodore's," Jane whispered. "He was struck by an arrow."

"Where is he now?"

"In the magician's quarters."

Dragon lift his head for a moment in thought. "Magician? Oh, the Merek guy. Tried to experiment with me a few times. Nice man. Did not appreciate him trying to use my scales as a healing remedy, but whatever cures you shortlives. Is the tyrant alright?"

The redheaded squire only partially smiled and shook her head towards Dragon's insensitivity. "He is not a tyrant, lizard. And Sir Merek says he will be. Sir Theodore is a strong man. Until then, Gunther and I will have to go to Trustinall Kingdom ourselves."

"What?" Dragon roared, now on his hind legs. "That bobolyne is sending you and Gunther - who are not even knights yet - to the kingdom that just sent an army to kill everyone at Kippernium and fatally wounded Old Rustylegs himself?"

"That is what I said!" Gunther cried out.

Jane glared before recalling something Sir Theodore had told her before he succumbed to the potion. "Enough, Dragon. Sir Theodore, he said... he said something about secrets. Of dragons. Something like that. If I go, maybe we can find out about the runes in your lair."

At first, Dragon softened, but he quickly reverted back to disapproval. "Your safety is worth more than the truth behind my cave, Jane. You are not going unless I am coming along."

"No," she said bluntly, "you will stay here and protect the kingdom while Gunther and I are gone. Besides, I believe they will not be too fond of seeing the beast who turned their army into charcoal."

"That does not matter. It is not safe for you, Jane. What are you going there for, anyway? To have your side cut open by an arrow like Clanky Legs? You are much thinner than him. I do not want you to risk your life."

Jane noticed Gunther tense. "Enough, Dragon!" she scolded. "Enough is enough. I will be fine."

Dragon persisted. "That is hard to believe, considering they just ruthlessly fired an arrow at an old man. You are strong, Jane, but not built enough to withstand an attack."

Jane knew this but would never admit to her lack of physical compatibility. Fortunately for her, she was a descendent of Sir John d'Ark, so she believed his strength and chivalry was passed onto her. What she lacks in durability, her strategies and battle tactics will make up for it. She was confident that she would not face the same casualty as Sir Theodore.

"You do not need to worry, Dragon," Gunther chimed in, "unlike Jane, I am strong."

Discreetly, Dragon tilted his head to the side, examining Gunther's figure. "I do not see it," he replied absentmindedly. Jane snorted.

"I am strong, mind you!" Gunther answered hotly, plunging into insecurity for a brief second before returning to egotism.

"Right," Dragon replied with a snicker, "and I breathe fairy dust. How will I trust you to take care of Jane?"

"Dragon!" Jane whined. "I do not need to be taken care of. What we need to do is form a plan. We will leave tomorrow at dusk."

"I advise against it," Smithy said from their peripherals, approaching them with heavy, clanking boots. Dragon craned his neck, agreeing with the blacksmith, but Smithy raised his hand so the reptile would not jump to any conclusions. "It is too soon. Wait a little bit. I do not know much about Trustinall, but I know who does."

Both Jane and Gunther's eyes widened. "Who? A traitor?"

Smithy merely laughed and shook his head. "No. Nothing of the sort. You might want to ask Jester. I believe he stopped by Trustinall Kingdom in his childhood."

Jane nodded. "Thank you, Smithy!" she said before taking off to the palace.

* * *

 _Thank you for the reviews: Lily, Kyra4, and Anon!_

 _feedback is always appreciated!_


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